Kleos Space S.A. (ASX: KSS, Frankfurt: KS1), (Kleos or Company) has revealed that the company’s Scouting Mission1 launch is confirmed for August 2019 on a Rocket Lab Electron launch vehicle.
All preparations by Kleos on the Kleos’ Scouting Mission satellites are on track for mission readiness and will be onsite, ready for flight preparation as soon as the Rocket Lab customer area is ready to accept the Kleos team for integration activities. Satellite testing will conclude with a complete system test using KSAT (Kleos Scouting Mission ground station service provider) specialist ground station equipment, immediately prior to Flight Acceptance Review and dispatch to launch Site.
Assembled Kleos Scouting Mission smallsats.
Image is courtesy of the company.
All four satellites have successfully completed all the necessary checks with the Rocket Lab’s in-house designed and built Maxwell dispenser which is used for deployment from the Electron kick stage to LEO. Pre-flight testing of critical functions within the detection systems on the satellites used for the creation of the Kleos geolocation data, have performed significantly better than specification, this improvement will further increase accuracy and product value. The Kleos’ Scouting Mission satellites are to be commissioned in a precise 500 km. SSO as part of a rideshare.
The first scouting mission is comprised of 4x smallsats built by GomSpace in Denmark, each the size of a shoebox. The multi-satellite Scouting Mission system will form the foundation of a constellation that delivers a global picture of hidden maritime activity, enhancing the intelligence capability of government and commercial entities when AIS (Automatic Identification System) is defeated, imagery is unclear, or targets are out of patrol range. Rocket Lab advised that the 14-day launch window will be publicly notified approximately 20 days prior to the target launch date.
Rocket Lab’s SVP of Global Launch Services, Lars Hoffman, said the company is excited to give the Kleos Scouting Mission satellites a first-class ride to orbit on Electron. The firm has worked closely with the Kleos team to design a tailored rideshare mission that lays the strong foundation for a future constellation.